Southern Belle
by AyCarayChicolion
Summary: This is a story about Angela (or Belle) and her adventures as she balances life on the ranch and in her love life. She's confused about her feelings for Gray and, as she's pensive about the situation, Julius makes it hard for her to decipher them.


**Quick Facts:** (About 'Me' in the Game)  
-My character name: Belle  
-My progress in the game will be included in this story.  
-Season: Summer

The _italic_ words are when a character is thinking.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility.**

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(Chapter 1): My World Ain't Easy

" _See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains."  
James 5:7_

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And here I am again on the same spot, every day, in front of my fields and of my animals, but dang I ain't complaining. It's the life I chose and the only life I would wanna live for. It's my world. These candid words go through my mind as I hear the bird's gentle melodies from a short distance away, making me break away from my clear reflections, to look out unto my fields of fully ripe tomatoes and watermelons. That, in an absurd manner, it makes the plain meadows look like a mixture of uneven watercolors painted by harsh hand-strokes.

Some days, just like today, I can stand here for hours looking at the fields for hours with the melody of the river's gentle currents. This blissful sensation, to feel that time has slowed down only for me, getting my selfish way ahead of me, is almost impossible to comprehend as I feel the hot gust of wind carrying lonesome leaves to the heart of Caramel District.

Caramel River District – one of the solitary districts there is on Waffle Island. I'm the only one that lives here in the open space in solitude with the blue-gray tainted mountains as my neighbors for my companionship that silently murmurs whispers during the warm nights. The quietness of this town is one of the main reasons why I wanted to escape the non-stopping city that never sleeps and that never has time to even stop and look at the sun that ancient religions used to worship.

But here in Waffle Town, everything changes … everything even the smallest, meaningless things. I have all the free time in the world to watch the sunset or the sunrise or just plainly watch the scorching sun stand still in the middle of the sky like how I am doing right now. The dazzling sun looks like a yellow topaz in the top of the blue heavens, shining below us to wear us down like an old road in this countryside. I blink away from the golden, bright balloon with a lazy smile on my face to the fields of tall grass swaying back and forth like the ocean waves. Where inside the wooden fence are all of my animals grazing languidly.

When I barely came to the island I had nothing on me with only 300G that I earned from working hard on Souffle Farm, who taught me how to use the farming supplies (without them I would've been in a hazy spot). And now as I see my gentle animals eating away the green rich grass until their heart content I can't help but beam a bright smile on my pink lips. Now I have a barn and a coop. It's too much to even hope for because never in my life would I think to own any of these structures but looking back at me to the buildings I know it's not a lie. I have come a damn long way and I am proud as ever. I just hope that when I turn around again I will see the same buildings and hope it wasn't an illusion that my eyes were cruelly playing on me.

I turn my focus away from my new building to gaze out to my grasslands as I suddenly feel the shadow of the clouds that overcast down on the fields and I look up to view gray clouds that block the shining sun with her thick sunrays.

"Gray…" I whisper to the four winds as I view the gray clouds up in the big sky moving swiftly to let the sun have her spotlight again.

That handsome, yet arrogant rancher has been on my mind ever since I meet him in Brownie Ranch with Renee, daughter of the owners of the ranch. His spiteful spirit infused with determination will make any girl senseless with mad sensation to be with him, especially me, and his crystal-blue eyes that shine intensely from the light from the sun will make me drive into absurd despair. His…

"What the heck is wrong with me?" I say quietly to myself, shaking the cling-some dirt off from my blouse with my brown leather gloves. But also shaking my head from the foolish thoughts that I shouldn't be thinking of at any moment at all. All I know is that I'm crazier than a two-legged horse.

His eyes? There is nothing special about him physically or inwardly. He's just a ruthless man who thinks he is better than everyone else that's why he spends all his damn time with Cain's horses. Didn't the town where he used to belong also have ranches that he can take care of over there and not come to this isolated island just to take care of other people's animals? Perhaps something grave happen in the former town that made him want to leave? Maybe – don't wanna know, or care. It's his dang life and he can do what the hell he wants to do – well he's the only one to call the shots.

"Dang it girl you're just hallucinating like a maniac, that's all." I state before getting interrupted by my black stallion horse, Pistol, who is behind the fence neighing loudly. I walk towards him to the wooden fence, climbing it half way to have a better reach for him. "Shh, settle down my black beast stallion." I pat him softly to calm him down, knowing he is just anxious to be ridden all around town like every day. I jump to the other side of the fence and put on the leather saddle on his bare back, climbing on top of him and ready to ride my horse as I hold on tightly to the reigns. "Let's go to Souffle Farm to buy some new seeds."

 **. . .**

The road to Souffle Farm is a short one as I quickly made it in less than five minutes and I get off from Pistol to tie him in a wooden pole next to the building, walking up the front steps of the porch. I open the heavy door that has a slight jingle to announce a new costumer. Already the warm and comfortable atmosphere hits deep inside my soul making me take a quick, friendly breath to hear a familiar voice giving me the usual greeting.

"Hello, Belle." Ruth greets me with a small smile standing behind the counter as I lower my brown cowboy hat to show my respect. "So, what can I get you today, dear?"

"Hi, Mrs. Ruth." I tell her as I walk closer to her by the counter with a slight smile. "Well, today I need some onion and corn seeds, if you may."

"Of course, just wait one minute." The older woman says to me, before going to the back-door area to retrieve the new seeds that I just ordered. "Here you go." She hands the bag of seeds to me when she returns as I give her the Gald in return.

"Thanks, ma'am."

I lower my cowboy hat again and place the seeds inside my brown rucksack, walking out of her shop with the jingle sound fading from my ears once more as I enter the outside world again. To meet yet again the summer's hot breeze through my skin, permanently making it tingle with joy. I turn to the left to view the green landscape with Mr. Craig having trouble pulling the weeds from his red fields of fresh, ready to be pick, tomatoes as I chuckle quietly at the little scene.

And here I am again. In front of the same old dirt road that goes around the whole island in a repetitive puzzle. Only three roads to take on this small town. I wonder if life was only like that with instead of taking a million paths to find your one destiny, you only take three. I wonder if I can get lost in Waffle Town? Maybe if I hardly ever take these dirt roads and forget where it leads to, but then … how to find these roads again and where it goes? I wanna go where I've never been before and know what it's like to take a road just 'cause it's there.

" _What's it like in your world, Gray? Could our worlds meet once in a lifetime?"_ I shake my foolish thoughts away when they take a quick turn about the arrogant rancher when a sudden voice interrupts me right on my tracks as I'm about to climb on top of my horse making me halt.

"Well, hello there darling." A deep, but feminine voice calls out to me as I turn around to see the owner of the words directed to me to see a stylish man with purple hair with red and yellow highlights, dress in a red jacket with a white blouse underneath with black leather pants and light tan suede boots. The fashionista of the island has arrived.

" _How many times do I need to tell him not to call me "darling'" to get through his thick, dense head?!"_ I cry inside my head knowing he only calls me that disturbing nickname just to piss me off.

"Hello, Julius." I state sternly to him as I ignore his choice of words, facing him with his right hand on his hip and a smirk spread across his red lips. "Need anything?"

"Oh, no of course not honey." His smirk becomes wider, probably thinking he's doing a mighty superb job of pissing me off. _Well, he's dang right!_ "I was just passing by to go to work in Ramsey's Blacksmith with Mira when I saw you. My lucky day." He winks at me with his red crimson eyes boring into my soul.

"Very well then _Julius_." I say his name with malice, facing my black horse instead of his almost toxic red eyes. "Just like you were passin' by, I also am passin' right on by." I get on top of my horse quickly and without fail to ride off again when I see the rancher that has been on my mind ever since I meet him.

 _Gray!_

As soon as I shout his name inside of my head Pistol sways backs and forth with the stomping of his feet on the brown dirt, making me jump with the surprise actions of Pistol as it rears up, neighing loudly. Probably this fiasco is from sensing my excitement – excitement? The heck? Girl, you need serious help, now!

"Woah there Pistol!"

I try to calm myself with the wild stallion almost making me fall off as I try to hold tightly the saddle tight between my legs. "Settle down now handsome!" And to my gratefulness Pistol settles down in an instant, bobbing his head back and forth while he's nickering. I just know that he's laughing at me in horse language.

"Dang it Pistol! You just did that to embarrass me in front of the arrogant rancher didn't you, boy?" I finally comprehend the action his antics with my eyes closed shut from my indignation, holding the leather reigns tightly in my leather gloved hands as my legs relax from the tension. "Well, someone ain't gonna have dinner tonight." Automatically there is silence in the air. I know that will get Pistol to quiet down in an instant.

A real laugh, or a snicker, interrupts my thoughts as I open my eyes to see whom the chuckle belongs to, to see Gray laughing right at me. That arrogant rancher!

"And what's so funny mister?" I half-shout to the rancher with his light blue cap making him only show half of his handsome lower face.

"No, nothing lady." Gray says trying to stop his laughing, raising his face high to see his beautiful blue eyes gazing at my dull brown eyes. His lips now into a thin line. "Just next time be sure how to handle the horse before the horse handles _you_." He walks away from me to the direction of Brownie Ranch. A smug smile forming on his lips.

 _And just like that he disappears down the route to Brownie Ranch, where there ain't no turning back. Ray of sunshine in my life, look back and don't think twice._

"You big-talkin' man!" I holler back at him knowing he did hear me because he shook his head slightly and I know he's smirking underneath his damn hat. "What an ungrateful fella he is." I whisper to myself loudly hoping the wind will drive my message to the boy walking away from me.

 _I cannot believe that I fancy that man and yet he is the only one to make my life shine. Dang it, well I'm still standin' tall day to day._ I shake my head once more that my thoughts without my self-control will think about ruthless Gray just when he was laughing right in my face a second ago.

"And what was that about?" A hear a voice question me and I turn to the sound of the voice to see Julius standing there with a surprised look on his pretty face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that he was here." I mutter to myself, turning to eye Mr. Craig in the fields quickly that is still fighting with the cruel weeds and then back to Julius who is waiting for my answer. "Nothin' partner. Well, I'm off to my ranch." I take a long second to eye the fashionista closely before I kick my horse to run to _Morning Glory Ranch_ , my ranch, to get ready to sow my new seeds of onion and corn in my brownfields, not even looking back at me for a split second.

"She's cute when she's fierce." Julius says to himself as he sees me riding away, leaving him in the dust and just walks away to Ramsey's Blacksmith to help Mira process the precious rocks as if nothing had happened.

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